Sign/Trade/Draft a Number One Wide Receiver
All Raider fans are aware of the Antonio Brown saga. After trading a third and fifth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown fizzled out in Oakland and did not appear in a game for the franchise.
Since then, Brown has been embroiled in controversy. He has been accused of sexual assault and recently posted a video of him berating police officers in front of his children. Even his own agent doesn’t want to work with him.
While Brown’s numbers on the field are undoubtedly great, his off-field antics weren’t worth it for the Raiders. In his place, free agent signing Tyrell Williams took over as WR1.
Williams caught 42 passes for 651 yards and six touchdowns. His numbers aren’t necessarily bad, but it’s clear the Raiders need more talent in the passing game.
The Raiders threw for 4,110 yards last season, good for 12th in the league. However, take away the yards to tight ends Darren Waller and Foster Moreau as well as running backs Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington and Josh Jacobs and that number drops to 2,010, good for last in the NFL.
Adding receiving talent will be one of this offseason’s biggest tasks for the Raiders. The team has three ways in which they should acquire that new star receiver.
Sign
When it comes to free agent wide receivers, the best available is Amari Cooper. However, Cooper is unlikely to leave the Dallas Cowboys either through a franchise/transition tag or a long-term extension. That being said it would be unlikely to see Cooper return to the Raiders after they traded him for a first round pick last season.
Another option is A.J. Green. Green sat out the entire 2019 season with an ankle injury. The problem with signing the lifelong Bengal is that Green has stated he wants to be in Cincinnati and the franchise may have no choice but to re-sign him to pair with new quarterback Joe Burrow.
From there, the wide receiver free agent class dips off. Players like Breshad Perriman and Travis Benjamin are interesting, but likely not capable of being a WR1. The other WR FA who does is that of Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders spent time with both the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers in 2019 and caught 66 passes for 869 yards and five touchdowns.
Sanders is just three years removed from a Pro Bowl season and has three 1,000 yard campaigns to his name. He undoubtedly would bolster the Raiders’ receiving core.
It would just be an odd move to dish out big money to a going on 33-year old receiver who has struggled with injuries in the past.
Another option is Robby Anderson, who the Raiders have been enamored with in the past. However, after serving as a boom-or-bust option with the Jets in 2019, could he function as a true WR1 in Las Vegas?
Trade
If signing Sanders or Anderson doesn’t seem like the Raiders cup of tea, perhaps trading for a top tier receiver could become an option. The team does have two first round picks in the draft.
The most obvious candidate is Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns. Rumors were swirling during the season that Odell wanted out of Cleveland. He would certainly give the Raiders their WR1, but this situation seems all to similar to the AB saga.
OBJ made a fool of himself following the LSU-Clemson championship game, handing out “fake” money to LSU players following the win and then getting into legal trouble by slapping a cop’s ass. Like AB did, he provides enormous value, but he may not be worth the trouble.
The problem is outside of OBJ, there isn’t many bonafide stars that could take over as WR1. Perhaps the Raiders could look to another team that recently moved in the Los Angeles Rams.
With the team struggling in 2019, perhaps they are more willing to trade Robert Woods or Brandin Cooks to free up cap space. The Raiders would take on a big salary but gain a field stretching FA who would open up lanes for Josh Jacobs. Assuming that either is healthy of course.
Another option is Corey Davis from the Tennessee Titans. He certainly wouldn’t be the team’s WR1 as he struggled mightily during the 2019 season. However, it appears the Titans are moving forward with A.J. Brown as their WR1. If the Raiders could get him for a late round pick, Davis could be a major low-risk high-reward reclamation project for the Raiders.
Draft
Perhaps the most realistic way to fix their wide receiver room comes via the 2020 NFL Draft. The Raiders hold both the 12th and 19th overall picks.
Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.com has the Raiders taking Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb with their 12th pick while Charlie Campbell of the same site has Las Vegas taking TCU receiver Jalen Reagor with their 19th in a separate mock draft.
Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports has the Raiders taking Lamb with the 12th pick.
Furthermore, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports has the Raiders grabbing Tee Higgins from Clemson with the 19th overall pick.
Whether it be Lamb, Reagor, Higgins or perhaps Jerry Jeudy in a trade-up, the 2020 NFL Draft is full of wide receiver talent. The Raiders should have no problem finding a play-maker at the position.
What will be key for the Raiders is finding the right wide receiver. If they chose to use the 12th pick at the position, Lamb seems to be the safest option. He impressed with the Sooners this season, catching 62 passes for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns.
